Do I dip my toe into the Ferrari market?
Discussion
Evening everyone,
Hope all is well? I apologise if this has been done to death but have been looking recently at the Californias, 2013 and back so pre- facelift. And that’s where my knowledge on them ends!
Any must haves on the California in terms of spec?
Any no-go colours?
Any problems with higher mileages (30k +)?
Is the Ferrari 2 year warranty comprehensive?
Do the ceramic brakes stand the test of time?
Experiences with Ferrari dealers?
Sorry for all the questions, I’ve had many cars before now, and more mainstream, which are fairly easy to review and research- most recent mistakes were Aston Vantages, both of which ended back up with the supplying dealers because they were just a PITA! Too many niggles that weren’t picked up pre-sale and weren’t sorted in the manner I would have expected ( usual - they all do that sir-)
Any advice, pros and cons would be greatly welcomed as I don’t want to get it wrong again!!
Thanks all!!
Hope all is well? I apologise if this has been done to death but have been looking recently at the Californias, 2013 and back so pre- facelift. And that’s where my knowledge on them ends!
Any must haves on the California in terms of spec?
Any no-go colours?
Any problems with higher mileages (30k +)?
Is the Ferrari 2 year warranty comprehensive?
Do the ceramic brakes stand the test of time?
Experiences with Ferrari dealers?
Sorry for all the questions, I’ve had many cars before now, and more mainstream, which are fairly easy to review and research- most recent mistakes were Aston Vantages, both of which ended back up with the supplying dealers because they were just a PITA! Too many niggles that weren’t picked up pre-sale and weren’t sorted in the manner I would have expected ( usual - they all do that sir-)
Any advice, pros and cons would be greatly welcomed as I don’t want to get it wrong again!!
Thanks all!!
Never owned the California but have had a 430 spider from new, 599 used and now a 458 spider from new.
My experience is that they get better with a bit more mileage on them so long as they have been properly serviced throughout. I have 38k miles on my 458 and the engine is smoother than when it had 5k miles on it.
Ceramics are fine unless you take it on track in which case you can expect to need replacing both pads and rotors if you’ve pushed hard and that’s a 5 digit bill from a Ferrari dealer.
Warranty wise I’ve never had an issue with the Ferrari warranty. The 430 had a bit of paint bubbling and the common manifold repair fixed under warranty without any issue. Once the main warranty has expired and you’re paying for the extended warranty the coverage does become more patchy and I ended up with a big bill on the 599. Costs about 3k per year to extend the warranty.
Dealer experience. I’ve always bought my cars from Egham after HRO turned me away when I wanted to buy a new 430- I was 25 at the time so I guess they thought I wasn’t serious. However I would say that for what is a special purchase, be prepared to not feel particularly special in the way they treat you. Certainly when I last bought a car I was made to feel they were doing me a favour, but perhaps that’s changed with time and maybe just the luck of the draw with the individual salesperson. I get my annual service done at hro now and that’s been fine.
My experience is that they get better with a bit more mileage on them so long as they have been properly serviced throughout. I have 38k miles on my 458 and the engine is smoother than when it had 5k miles on it.
Ceramics are fine unless you take it on track in which case you can expect to need replacing both pads and rotors if you’ve pushed hard and that’s a 5 digit bill from a Ferrari dealer.
Warranty wise I’ve never had an issue with the Ferrari warranty. The 430 had a bit of paint bubbling and the common manifold repair fixed under warranty without any issue. Once the main warranty has expired and you’re paying for the extended warranty the coverage does become more patchy and I ended up with a big bill on the 599. Costs about 3k per year to extend the warranty.
Dealer experience. I’ve always bought my cars from Egham after HRO turned me away when I wanted to buy a new 430- I was 25 at the time so I guess they thought I wasn’t serious. However I would say that for what is a special purchase, be prepared to not feel particularly special in the way they treat you. Certainly when I last bought a car I was made to feel they were doing me a favour, but perhaps that’s changed with time and maybe just the luck of the draw with the individual salesperson. I get my annual service done at hro now and that’s been fine.
WelshBoltonBen said:
Evening everyone,
Hope all is well? I apologise if this has been done to death but have been looking recently at the Californias, 2013 and back so pre- facelift. And that’s where my knowledge on them ends!
Any must haves on the California in terms of spec?
Any no-go colours?
Any problems with higher mileages (30k +)?
Is the Ferrari 2 year warranty comprehensive?
Do the ceramic brakes stand the test of time?
Experiences with Ferrari dealers?
Sorry for all the questions, I’ve had many cars before now, and more mainstream, which are fairly easy to review and research- most recent mistakes were Aston Vantages, both of which ended back up with the supplying dealers because they were just a PITA! Too many niggles that weren’t picked up pre-sale and weren’t sorted in the manner I would have expected ( usual - they all do that sir-)
Any advice, pros and cons would be greatly welcomed as I don’t want to get it wrong again!!
Thanks all!!
I have no experience with any Ferrari's whatsoever, but any colour other than red. Cos everyone buys a red Ferrari and there are so many better colours out there. Hope all is well? I apologise if this has been done to death but have been looking recently at the Californias, 2013 and back so pre- facelift. And that’s where my knowledge on them ends!
Any must haves on the California in terms of spec?
Any no-go colours?
Any problems with higher mileages (30k +)?
Is the Ferrari 2 year warranty comprehensive?
Do the ceramic brakes stand the test of time?
Experiences with Ferrari dealers?
Sorry for all the questions, I’ve had many cars before now, and more mainstream, which are fairly easy to review and research- most recent mistakes were Aston Vantages, both of which ended back up with the supplying dealers because they were just a PITA! Too many niggles that weren’t picked up pre-sale and weren’t sorted in the manner I would have expected ( usual - they all do that sir-)
Any advice, pros and cons would be greatly welcomed as I don’t want to get it wrong again!!
Thanks all!!
This looks spectacular. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202... as does this: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202... but for ultimate uniqueness, you're never likely to see another one like this: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...
The Ferrari warranty is ok, but not comprehensive - lots of stuff not covered (e.g. from memory the nav screen, manifolds, exhaust, parking sensors are all things I paid for in addition to the warranty). I would still get it though as I am sure a bill for a gearbox or an engine would be very painful (not worried about the engine, but you never know - gearbox on the other hand I already had 2 repairs on, alas no replacement - so possibly not that expensive)
Gassing Station | Ferrari V8 | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff